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maisie's can't move her back legs very well....

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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maisie can't seem to move around properly. it is like she is trying but he back end won't move with her.

she is still eating as normal.

i went to pick her up to check her over and she couldn't run away, she kind of jerked away and it was more a hopping motion than a walk.

is this a deficiency of something? or paralysis?

i think the right hand side of her body seems bigger than the left. like it is a bit swollen? she didn't like me touching it.

she hasn't hurt herself that i know of. the only things different lately are that they have had some of that grow your own grass, and also some dried herbs - coneflower.

i'm getting all panicky and thinking different things. could she have bloat yet still want to eat?

what does everyone think?
 
I'm sorry Maisie isn't quite right, what a worry for you!

Pigs can move as you describe when they have bladder problems, or when they are bloated. Deficiency is possible but given the symptoms you've described, I would lean towards bloat. What food did she eat yesterday?

Does she let you touch her tummy at all? Is the 'swelling' worst at the side of her tummy? A bloated pig has a very sensitive abdomen and will dislike being touched there.

It goes without saying a vets opinion is important, but you can try one Buscopan tablet. It's sold for humans with IBS. Crush one tablet and syringe it with around 1ml water. I've found this the most effective treatment for my pigs with chronic bloat.

The fact she is still eating is good. My chronic bloat pigs also eat as normal when they are affected.
 
yesterday she had normal hay, the dust free one. they have been having oxbow western timothy hay aswell for just over a week now.

veg was normal thing she is used to - this week they have been having red pepper, green pepper, spring greens, greenbeans, basil. on different days they have had other things, like a tiny bit of carrot or broccoli, a slice of banana or half a grape.

they started having that grow your own grass about three days ago. that is the newest thing. over a week they have had coneflower dry herbs, the naturals range one.

pellets and water as normal.

she was ok yesterday but then last night i thought she didn't seem quite right, but was eating pooping etc normally so kept an eye on her. i just happened to wake up early, i don't know why, and went to check her and she was like this.

she looks a bit scared, like she is creeping round. it looks like she tries and it takes a couple of attempts for the back legs to move with her.

her tum looks bigger on one side. when i picked her up and checked her over, she didn't like me touching it. but she never usually likes it.

is it true that there is a specific way to syringe a piggy? and doing it wrong will damage them? because i have never syringe fed one before. only rabbits.

my exotics vet is about 40mins away, maybe a bit less in the daytime. maisie gets quite scared travelling in the car. but i would have to go to that vets. i trust the vet there - he looks after my rabbits who have been very poorly.

would you try the buscopan tablet or get her to the vets?
 
very strange - she is moving better now.... but what she does is kind of stretch forward and makes herself really long, then sniffs a bit, like something new is around...then goes back again to a sitting position.

she just heard me getting breakfast ready and was as interested...but didn't start moving round like normal. i'm just waiting for the veg to reach room temp, but gave them a basil leaf whilst they wait. she came over for that and then ran back in the hay. it wasn't her run though. does that make sense?

she let me touch her sides aswell and they feel soft, i couldn't hear any hollow sound. they just seem squishy.
 
Could she have been spooked by anything? That do that stretching behaviour when they're scared or nervous. Just a thought.

Spring greens (cabbage) and broccoli can lead to bloat in pigs susceptible to 'gas', although if I would suspect anything I'd be inclined to think the grass has upset her, with it being a new food. Having said that, bloat is "common" in pigs put out on the grass for the first time after the winter - perhaps it was a mild version of the same thing?

Squishy abdomen is good; a bloated pigs belly feels tight and quite springy. It's up to you if you try the Buscopan; you can see how she gets on with her breakfast in a while, try to determine if her behaviour is that of a spooked or an ill pig. If she wasn't eating and her tummy was tight then a dose of Buscopan before seeing the vet would be useful.

In my experience, the bloat can be worse on one side than another i.e. one side can be tighter than the other. Not always the case but it is something I have come across on occasion.

There's some tips for syringing piggies here:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36533

Doing it wrong won't damage them per se; you just have to be careful that you don't put so much in the mouth that the pig inhales some. As explained in the link above, 0.3ml is about the most I will put in a pigs mouth at a time; less if the pig has breathing problems.
 
she did seem spooked by the weather. and when i went over to the cage it was dark so i could have spooked her more maybe.

she has just eating two little bits of carrot, she came over for them. veg still isn't room temp yet.

i've seen her spooked before, once when a mirror fell down in the bathroom in the night, and when there was fireworks. both times she had big, wide eyes, but didn't really do that stretching thing. she is more still when she is scared. she hunches up and just freezes.

just tried feeling her tum again and she didn't appreciate it. i'm sure she made a noise with her teeth. it wasn't a chatter as such, more a quiet tooth rattling?

could it be as she is weeing maybe? she stretches out? she isn't squealing or anything when she wee's though.

i'm torn between taking her to the vets or not. only because she moves ok sometimes, she is eating and is normal apart from that back leg thing. and the journey is long and could make her worse?

i am leaning towards maybe the new grass making her bad. although, they have had that one before...but it was a while ago. i introduced it slowly. maybe not slowly enough?

if she acts normally with her breakfast in a little bit, should i try the buscopan tablet first and see how she is? then if she doesn't seem right still take her to the vets later? i don't want to risk leaving it though if there is something really wrong.

will buscopan be ok, even if it isn't needed? it won't do her any harm? and it is one tablet with about 1ml of water for her age and weight? she is about 18 months and weighed 1212g last weigh in.
 
I appreciate how difficult a decision it is for you. One of the pros of going to the vets are that they should be able to feel if the bladder is inflamed, which could indicate a bladder problem that is causing her to move awkwardly, and they could determine if there is anything upstting the digestive system i.e. gas bubbles.

I think, even though she is unnerved by travelling, it's worth seeing the vet for his opinion. After all, people on the forum can give you ideas and suggestions - but a diagnosis has to be made by examining the pig, and the vet is the one who can examine the pig in person and try to diagnose.

The Buscopan will more than likely sort her out if it is mild bloat - my Dexter has had a very tight painful tummy at times that is helped by just one Buscopan tablet. Luckily since cutting out cabbage and broccoli he's not been bloated. I still have plenty of Buscopan to hand in case he does swell up again!

Bloat is usually a very serious condition which requires immediate veterinary treatment, but there are quite a few cases like two of my pigs whereby they get mild buildups of gas - a mild case of bloat - but are still eating. They are usually managed by eliminating problem foods from the diet, keeping up a regular floor/exercise time routine, and treating the bloat as soon as it is noticed.
The most seriously bloated pigs will not eat or drink, will not move, the eyes will be sunken, and the pig will be sat hunched/puffed up in a corner.

I don't think giving Buscopan would do her any harm even if bloat is not the problem. It can help with bladder trouble too. I would still be inclined to try and figure out if she is acting spooked before giving it - if you're really not sure, try a Buscopan and see if she starts moving around properly an hour after giving it. One tablet is 10mg, fine for Maisie's age and weight.

I wonder if there is a rodentologist near you? Have you ever tried asking Vedra if there are any close to you? They would be able to help by examining the pig as well.
 
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i told ches and maisie veg was ready as normal and they came over and both stood up against the bars which is normal. she ate all her veg as normal and i have seen her poop aswell. the poops are normal.

she does look more 'rounded' on her tum. kind of the tum and further down aswell. she wasn't happy being touched there though and i tried to pick her up but she wasn't happy about that, and i don't want to stress her and upset her.

she is definitely walking around better now. just every so often does that stretch out thing.

she seems spooked by one area of the cage. :{ she kind of 'bows' towards it. stretches out and then looks scared. i moved the box that was there.

there is another vets closer to me, about 20mins, they are really good, but not really qualified like the vet i see now. he is a top specialist and deals with all exotics and small animals. that is why i would rather he treated maisie as i trust him 100%. he is so qualified and really amazing.

my instinct is a mild bloat or some kind of bladder problem. she didn't wee when she stetched out though.

i might try the vets closer. they are still really good. at least maisie won't have to travel far then, and they can examine her condition and they should beable to treat her for anything.

such a worry. 8...
 
just thought, i might beable to get to my usual vets quicker in the day, about 25 minutes. might do that. i would rather see my usual vet. right, going to get ready and get an appointment and get going. will updtae later. thanks for your help x
 
got an appointment with my usual vet at 11.15am, so the taxi is getting here at 10.30am. i really hope they will be ok with the journey.

and i hope i am doing the right thing. maisie seems to be moving around better. she still isn't 100% though.

i'm nervous for her.

will update when i get back anyway.
 
As you are concerned, you are doing the right thing. It sounds like you have a good vet. Better to get her checked and come up healthy, than to leave her and worry for a few days.
 
It could have been a muscular problem. As regards syringe feeding, you can give one ml at a time, with no problems, otherwise you will be syringe feeding all day.
Don't these little animals just know how to get their owners really worried?
I am sure you will soon have the problem sorted.
 
Yes, no problem, one ml in one mouthful. Feeding rate is about 1-2ml per minute.
This is using Burgess Excel, and a one ml syringe, (I never remove the end of the syringe)
 
they are a worry! i couldn't leave it as i would have worried non stop.

anyway, just got back now....maisie is ok! :)

aidan thoroughly checked her over and her tum is fine, as is her breathing, weight, everything is ok. :)

just her lower teeth are very very slightly longer than they should be...but they shouldn't get any longer if she carries on eating as much hay as she does. just got to try and get her on more leafy greens, aswell as all the veg she has now. she doesn't eat many pellets anyway but he said cut them down even more and i could even cut them out completely. he isn't one for pellets being fed to rabbits and guinea pigs.

he put maisie on the floor to see her movements and she was walking round fine rolleyes:red she wouldn't let aidan pick her up again though! only mummy! x)

he doesn't know why she was how she was this morning. he thinks maybe she is in season which is why she was pushing her back end out awkwardly and enjoying strokes off me alot....! :red

he said it is possible she could have been spooked by something this morning which is why she was acting all strange and doing jerky movements. or possibly her mouth might feel different if her teeth have changed a bit.

but anyway, she is ok. just got to keep an eye on her...but for now he can't see anything wrong with her. :)

she's a nice stable weight aswell. so all is ok.

the pigs were so good in the taxi aswell. ches shredded newspaper for the first 5 mins or so but settled down after that.

the taxi driver knocked a tenner off the price too to help me out which is nice. he did that last time aswell.

i'm calmer now and glad i went because she has had a thorough check and it has put my mind at ease!
 
I am glad the visit to the vets was worth it, it rules a few things out which is good. Very kind taxi driver too!

AP - My pigs must have small mouths. They struggle and spit out anything more than 0.3ml per mouthful! Still managed to get through a lot in a short space of time; the record was 64ml in 30 minutes - mind you, the pig was not fighting it.
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
I am glad the visit to the vets was worth it, it rules a few things out which is good. Very kind taxi driver too!

AP - My pigs must have small mouths. They struggle and spit out anything more than 0.3ml per mouthful! Still managed to get through a lot in a short space of time; the record was 64ml in 30 minutes - mind you, the pig was not fighting it.
Click to expand...


thanks x
 
maisie has been fine since the vets! both ches and maisie had a long rest after and then she has been behaving as normal! wheeking for veg and moving round normally! i'm glad...but this morning was very strange. least she is ok though, that is the main thing. keep thinking how cute she looked on the floor at the vets, hiding behind the sink! bless her. x)x)x)
 
maisie has been fine since, although i think her tum was feeling a bit off and that is what made her feel uncomfortable, because it doesn't look as big now. anyway, she is fine and happy so all is ok. :)
 
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